Hartford, Conn., Jan 7, 2005 / 12:00 am (CNA).- With less than 20 days before Connecticut’s first execution in 44 years, Catholics in the state are being urged to make their voices heard and sign of petition against the death penalty at church after mass this weekend.

Archbishop Henry Mansell, an advocate for the abolition of the death penalty, issued a letter to parishes.

“While conceding that the state has the duty to maintain public order and the right to punish convicted criminals, we, the Roman Catholic Church of Connecticut, express our considered opposition to the death penalty,” wrote the archbishop.

The Pope shares this view, having expressed it several times publicly and in an encyclical.

However, the battle in Connecticut looks like it will be tough as public opinion polls show more than 50 percent of people in Connecticut support the death penalty.

The Connecticut Network to Abolish the Death Penalty held a rally at the capitol last month. Next week, religious leaders from several faiths will come to the state capitol to urge repeal of the death penalty.